The Verkhovna Rada has adopted draft law No. 5506 "On the indigenous peoples of Ukraine" as a basis and as a whole, - correspondent of OstroV reports.
325 people's deputies supported the decision.
The draft law defines the concept of "indigenous people of Ukraine", according to which it is an autochthonous ethnic community that has formed on the territory of Ukraine, is a bearer of an authentic language and culture, has traditional, social, cultural or representative bodies.
According to this definition, the draft act proposes to establish that the the Crimean Tatars, Karaites, and Krymchaks are indigenous peoples of Ukraine.
The document secures for the indigenous peoples guarantees of legal protection against any actions aimed at: depriving the signs of ethnicity and integrity as original peoples, depriving them of cultural values; eviction or population shift from areas of compact settlement in any form; forced assimilation or forced integration in any form; encouragement or incitement to racial, ethnic or religious hatred directed against them.
Among the fundamental rights of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, the draft act guarantees the cultural, educational, linguistic and informational rights of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine.
As previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the draft law on indigenous peoples, which was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, shows the "unfriendly attitude of the Ukrainian authorities" towards Russia, and the adoption of this document will lead to "a reduction in the Russian population".